McDonalds and Obesity Collaboration

The recent researches state that one in four American children is diagnosed with obesity or is overweight (Natale, et al. 14). The statistics remain approximately equal in relation to all ethnical and national groups. Recently, the European countries have also claimed the dramatic increase in obesity and considered it as an urgent social problem. The issue of obesity gains special attention in the modern society and requires effective treatment and solutions. However, the analysis of the activities of different profitable and not-for-profit organizations reveals the existence of different strategies and attitudes to obesity as a social phenomenon. For example, the Obesity Action Campaign permanently emphasizes the harm of obesity and takes enormous steps to prevent and raise awareness about this issue. Considering the urgency of obesity, both McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign should combine their efforts in order to fight the negative consequences of this condition and emphasize the importance of the healthy way of life.

McDonalds and Obesity

McDonalds is one of the most well-known and recognized chains of fast food restaurants in the world. According to the statistics, McDonalds produces 43% of fast food in the US (Alheritiere, et al. 610). Additionally, it occupies a relatively big niche in Asian and European markets. McDonalds launches powerful advertising and promotional campaigns aimed at the needs and demands of different social and national groups. However, the researches on the McDonalds’ menu show that its food is highly dangerous and harmful to the human health. The reason is that only seven items on the entire menu do not include natural sugars. The conventional portion of the McDonald items contains too much fat, which exceeds the daily norm for the humans. As a result, the question of the McDonald’s influence on the level of obesity arises and gains special prominence and urgency.

Currently, over 100 million Americans are suffering from obesity or are overweight with their BMI exceeding the standards (Alheritiere, et al. 611). The constant advertisements and promotions also worsen the situation with regard to obesity by changing the values of the healthy lifestyle and emphasizing the benefits of fast food.

Overall, the impact of McDonalds on obesity rates is rather threatening. With the great range of fast food items and powerful advertisements, the company highly contributes to the spread of obesity and increase of its rates worldwide (Alheritiere, et al. 610). Thus, there is a need in rethinking the marketing strategy of McDonalds and adapting it to the demands of the society, while orienting on the health and physical welfare.

The Objectives of Obesity Action Campaign

Obesity Action Campaign is a charitable non-for-profit organization, which aims at the reduction of the level of obesity and increase of awareness of the existing problem (“Our Aims”). The organization supports scientific researches and investigations into obesity and its links to other diseases such as diabetes, heart strokes and cancer (Soeda, et al. 281). It cooperates with the leading universities and research centers, which perform investigations in those fields. In addition, the organization holds numerous educative and informative events that are aimed at informing the society about the threats of obesity and ways of its prevention.

Additionally, Obesity Action Campaign fights against obesity on the political level. In fact, it applies to lobbying the parliament and staging various public and political events in order to raise awareness about the problem of obesity and attract civil attention to its prominence (Harrison 109). Overall, the company performs enormous educative, informative, scientific and political events with the purpose of fighting obesity and contributing to its reduction worldwide (“Our Aims”). With the help of education and scientific researches, the campaign supports healthy interventions and improvement of the quality of life.

Obesity in the Business Paradigm of McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign

On the one hand, it is possible to state that McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign follow totally different approaches to the healthy way of life and support different opinions regarding the problem of overweight people. On the other hand, the analysis of the recent activities of both companies reveals certain similarities. For example, Dumanovsky et al. state that McDonalds has introduced the line of the healthy food menus in different European countries. Similarly, Obesity Action Campaign emphasizes the importance of healthy meals and harm of conventional fast food. Thus, from this perspective, both organizations take obvious steps toward the prevention of obesity on the international level.

Moreover, legal regulations have influenced the activities of McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign. According to Dumanovsky et al., in Europe, the manufacturers of soda are supposed to inform the consumers about the amount of sugars in the drinks and their influence on the teeth. Particularly, the posters and advertisements in the organization’s restaurants have been replaced with the pictures of fruit, vegetables and healthy meals (Clinton Foundation). Moreover, McDonalds have claimed to start the global sustainability framework, focusing on the protection of the environment and delivery of high quality food for the clients (“Our Approach to Sustainability”). Apparently, this strategy will allow reducing the level of consumption of fatty food and lead to the prevention of obesity.

In fact, the public discussion of the problem of obesity has changed the marketing strategy of McDonalds and made it more focused on the promotion of the healthy way of life. From this standpoint, both McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign are following the similar values and trying to demonstrate the advantages of the healthy way of life.

The Solution to the Problem of Obesity

Evidently, business purposes of McDonalds and charitable orientation of Obesity Action Campaign may have various purposes and orient on different audiences. In fact, this is one of the major reasons behind the absence of common resolution between those two stakeholders. Moreover, orientation on different values, focus on various sources of profits and attitude to the civil life are among the main factors contributing to the lack of resolution between McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign.

However, the existence of the common problem stresses the importance of collaboration and searches for the effective solution. In the past, the solution for the problem was grounded on total replacement of McDonald’s promotional campaigns. For example, the advertisements for children in Australia have been reduced by 50%. McDonalds has also stopped using cartoons and children movies for advertising its items (Peters and Mennecke 430). Similarly, Obesity Action Campaign has been fighting against the excessive promotion of fast food, especially for children. In this perspective, both stakeholders tend to follow the same mission.

Currently, collaboration between the two stakeholders can exist in the form of contributions and funding of scientific and medical researches on obesity and programs promoting the healthy way of life. McDonalds can send a part of its profits to scientific investigations into obesity and promotion of healthy interventions such as bike riding and family tracking (Zara). Moreover, it can launch a new advertising campaign emphasizing its role in the protection of the healthy lifestyle.

Therefore, the issue of obesity can receive a positive treatment from both commercial and non-profitable organizations. Considering the scope of the problem and its negative effect on health, it is essential for the companies to rethink their objectives and adopt humanistic and healthy attitudes. In these terms, the funding of medical researches on obesity may become an effective solution for the issue of overweight people and fruitful cooperation between various stakeholders.

Conclusions

Obesity tends to affect millions of people all around the globe. The official statistics confirm the huge percentages of obesity among both children and adults. As a result, there is a pressing need in discovering the issue of obesity and raising public awareness about the problem. Both commercial and charitable organizations can contribute to the resolution of obesity and use their impacts to prevent the spread of the problem. With regard to McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign, they can combine their efforts to sponsor valid scientific researches on obesity as a part of their business activities. The orientation on the healthy way of life and fight over obesity constitute the common tendency, which positively influences the modern businesses and social welfare. Thus, the introduction of the new menu, focus on the balanced diet, and advertisement of the physical exercises in the promotional campaigns are the right ways to solve the problem of obesity by both McDonalds and Obesity Action Campaign.